Why do archaeologists use “noninvasive imaging” technology to look around pre-Columbian temples rather than just walking in and having a look?

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Why do archaeologists use “noninvasive imaging” technology to look around pre-Columbian temples rather than just walking in and having a look?

In: Technology

3 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

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Anonymous 0 Comments

You can tarnish some of the things in the temples by opening it. The reason these things still exist is because they were protected from the environment for so long, so if you open it up you risk causing everything to break down

Anonymous 0 Comments

Non-invasive imaging means even if you decide to excavate and open a chamber/temple/etc you have a better idea of what is located where, how to do the least amount of damage to the site, and the best way to start. (A lot of stuff gets broken in archaeology. Not always on purpose but it happens!). Also it can be more expensive to excavate and remove and then preserve objects. If you open it up, it gets exposed to a different environment. Changes in temperature and humidity can make things fall apart faster, and it costs money to prevent that from happening.